What is actually in your supplements?

Pregnant women are routinely advised to take a prenatal vitamin to make sure that they are getting all the nutrients they need to grow a healthy baby. Unfortunately, the control and inspection of vitamins and other supplements in the last 20+ years has been limited.

Supplements are recognized as foods under FDA regulations... a.k.a. they are not required to be tested (for safety and ingredients). In fact, "Supplement manufacturers—unlike drug companies—do not need to prove that a product is safe and effective before marketing it."

Thankfully---there are rules as to what kinds of ingredients are allowed in supplements.

These ingredients include but are not limited to: vitamins, herbs, botanicals, or amino acids. The 'not limited to' statement is where there is some grey area...

Often times supplements can have fillers in them that can be harmful and at the very least---- a waste of your money.

P.S.A. There is good news!--The FDA has created a list of ingredients that may be in your supplement and goes forward to write how they may or may not be harmful. You can find the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List here.

Although these ingredients are still allowed... at least there is a resource to use to stay informed. This tool will give you the ability to choose the best supplements for your needs.

Hopefully--- the manufacturers will see this list and create supplements that exclude potentially harmful ingredients. As moms or moms to be, you can use this to your advantage and advocate for clean ingredients in your vitamins...

If you have more questions about the efficacy of your prenatal vitamin and how it should be used, check out our blog post posing the question: Is your prenatal vitamin enough? Also check out our website in get in contact with us today!

Until next time!

Mikayla and Cassie

Mamas Maternal Health Registered Dietitians/Lactation Counselors

References:

https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-ingredients/dietary-supplement-ingredient-advisory-list

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2019/05/14/fda-unveils-list-of-suspected-unlawful-ingredients-in-dietary-supplements

Photo by Bich Ngoc Le on Unsplash

#entrepreneurs #infantfeeding #mom #newmom #mommy2be #breastfeeding #lactation #skintoskin #hospitals #birth #maternal #maternity #pregnancy #pregnant #infantnutrition #counseling #Dietitian #nutritionist #CLC #virtualnutritioncounseling #breastfeeding #maternalhealth #maternalwellness #maternalnutrition #happy #entrepreneurs #infantfeeding #mom #newmom #mommy2be #prenatalvitamin #RDN #RD #dietitian #nutritionist #health #wellness #pediatrics #children #mamasmaternalhealth #lactationcounseling #motherhood #parenting #baby #babies #prenatal #postnatal #motherhood #womanhood #recovery #childhood #vitamins #prenatalvitamin #FDA